


The Werewolf Children

by schemingreader



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, If You Squint - Freeform, maybe some HBP spoilage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-22
Updated: 2005-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-02 13:12:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4061287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schemingreader/pseuds/schemingreader
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On an Order mission, Remus Lupin goes to live with a werewolf pack in a remote place in Scotland.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Werewolf Children

When Remus stands on the hill overlooking the werewolf pack, he is surprised that they look like Travelers. He almost expects to hear Shelta or Roma in the camp. It's difficult to tell that these are werewolves, in the daylight. Lycanthropy looks a lot like poverty. It's not only werewolves who are poorly nourished, exhausted, old before their time. He sees green wagons ornately painted with wolf and moon symbols. But for these symbols they would look like traditional Traveler wagons. He is not sure what he expected. These are not savage feral beasts, just tired looking people who smell of wood fire smoke.

As he gets into the encampment, it appears to him that the werewolves are organized into what look like families, with wagons, bender tents and steel drum cooking fires placed next to subsistence garden plots. People have planted flowers in barrels and in planters next to their wagons. He approaches the first home and a man on the steps speaks to him.

"Good morning."

"Good morning. I am Remus Lupin."

"David Williams." The man extends a scarred hand and they shake. "Of course we know of you, Professor Lupin."

"I…I am not a professor any longer."

"Please. We are honored to have a man of learning among us. May I offer you a cup of tea?"

Remus accepts. The man goes into the trailer and emerges with two mugs of sweet, black tea.

"You have not lived with werewolves, Professor, you grew up with the wizards."

"I am afraid you have me at a loss, Mr. Williams. It seems you know everything about me and I know nothing about you."

There is an undercurrent of tension between him and Williams, Remus realizes. Is this about dominance or hierarchy, or is because he is a stranger in a tightly knit community? Is Williams hostile to him because he is a wizard? Or is he just sussing out who Remus is? Or is the tension all on Remus' side?

"Professor, every werewolf in Britain knows about you and your achievements, because of the circumstances under which you left your Hogwarts position."

It is clear that Williams is trying to be tactful and to spare Remus' feelings. Remus supposes that at least some werewolves blame him for Umbridge's Ministry edicts.

"The werewolves in the packs know each other," Williams continues. "We have contact from pack to pack. Since most of us were turned young and raised in the pack, any road, we didn't get a wizarding education. I was turned as an adult. It's rare to meet a werewolf who was turned young and is well-educated."

Williams' voice is soft and only slightly hoarse. Remus recognizes in him some of his own mannerisms. He is polite, he is ingratiating, and he is holding back his power. Remus feels like the man would like to pace around him, but he doesn't.

"We have children, here, Professor, and they are not getting any education. They won't have a place in wizarding society, and we can't find a place for them in Muggle society." Williams looks him in the face but not in the eyes. It's a very polite gaze, somehow neither challenging the wolf nor offending the person in Remus. "We are concerned about our children."

"When you say 'your children', Mr. Williams," Remus begins. Lycanthropic women can't carry infants to term, as far as he knows.

"I mean children who have been turned. Most of us who had children, before, lost custody when we were bitten. There is one family where the mother and child were turned together. Most of the children are foster children, taken in by families."

Remus nods. "Is everyone in the camp in a family?"

Williams smiles. "When the moon is full, we are all pack, you understand."

"Yes." Remus hopes he really does understand what this means.

"But during the month, we live in smaller families: a couple with a child, or two or three adults who live together. We will find a place for you. We need you here to help teach our children."

"Do you know why I have come here, Mr. Williams?"

"We don't care about the war between the wizards. It's none of our business."

~~~~~

Nothing is simple for Remus with the pack. First, he doesn't understand the complicated etiquette of werewolves. He has always been very polite, but the pack operates on at least two levels at all times: wolf manners and human manners. He can't look anyone directly in the eye, because that's a challenge, but he can't avert his eyes either, because that's rude. Pack members are very serious, but they always smile. Some of these ways of behaving come naturally to Remus, but he fears making a mistake.

Then there is the problem of where he will live. He doesn't know the sexual mores of the pack, and it's hard to tell how they view monogamy. Are the families with three adults polygamous? When the moon gets close to full, is everyone going to start rutting? What will happen at transformation time, will they all retransform to humans in the nude together? Pack members socialize mainly in single-sex groups and they seem reserved and conservative. For now, Remus is living in a tent on the edge of David Williams' plot. Everyone else lives in a family, so this makes him strange.

For the whole first month that he is there, Remus fears transforming with the pack. He is afraid that since there will be no Wolfsbane and no restraint, that they will all infect other people. He comes to understand that no members of the pack will mention either Greyback or Voldemort to him, but he doesn't know whether this is to protect his feelings or because they genuinely don't support them. Soft-spoken David Williams is the pack leader. Remus is more of an outsider than he has ever been.

On top of everything else, Remus finds himself in the strange position of having to plan schooling for fifteen children between the ages of three and seventeen. Most are young, about the right age for kindergarten. These are all children Greyback has bitten in the last year. Somehow the werewolf packs have kept track of each child. Perhaps Greyback is colluding with their rescue attempts, Remus doesn't know. Now he will be responsible for primary schooling for these children. He has no experience with primary school. He has no books. The Order has no money for books or toys for his children.

Remus is going to need to go to a library. The next town is 25 miles away. Remus Apparates three miles outside of town and walks. The public library is small, but they have internet access and a good collection on child development and education. There he becomes acquainted with the funding resources of the Scottish Traveller Education Programme. He writes several grant proposals for home schooling projects, using the computers at the library. The Scottish education system only funds schooling for children from ages five to sixteen, but it is clear to Remus that he has to provide the younger children with structure. He will need picture books, and it doesn't matter to him whether the pictures move or not. He will need chalk and a blackboard, pencils, quills, notebooks.

He briefly considers asking the Ministry of Magic for funds, but with Dolores Umbridge still working there, he knows there is no point.

~~~~  
Remus wants to write letters to the newly turned children's families, to persuade them to take the children back. He and David Williams are eating rabbit stew with David's wife Katy by their stove outside when he asks for information about addresses.

"You know, we aren't all sure that the children are better off with their birth families," Katy says with formal mildness.

Remus is silent for a moment. Then he says, "I think children belong with their parents, when possible."

"It can be difficult for parents to love their children once they are infected."

David looks at Remus. "Since the parents aren't lycanthropes, they can't teach their children about what to expect as they grow older."

"I was raised by my parents," Remus says.

"And there are things you still don't know," says Katy.

Remus is still.

"It's true that the pack's resources are stretched. We don't get any funds from the Ministry for taking in the children." David acknowledges.

"It's a trauma for young children of this age to be separated from their mothers, in particular. It's like the children who were isolated from their families on Indian reservations in America, or the aboriginal children in Australia." Remus says.

"It's a trade-off. Think about children in schools for the Deaf. Many Deaf adults think Deaf children in hearing families are horribly isolated." David tells him.

Katy says gently, "Most of the parents have abandoned their children in the first place. It's difficult to raise a werewolf child; it's expensive. Parents try to pay for Wolfsbane, but they can't always afford it. They have to keep the child locked up."

Remus says, "I know that. Don't you think I know that? My parents spent so much money and time on cures that didn't work, medications, potions."

"There is anti-werewolf bias against the child's whole family. They don't want to take them back." Katy tells him.

Remus says, "Please let me at least try to write to the parents."

Katy pats his hand. David smiles but his eyes look worried.  
~~~~

Remus supposes it would make sense to meet every family in the pack before his first transformation with them. He has been waiting. Most of them have seen him in passing and greeted him by name. The other werewolves know his story from the scandal of his leaving Hogwarts. He can never be anonymous here.

The children's names are mainly English names, only three Latin names: a Fidelius, which makes Remus smile, a Julian and an Augustus, who goes by Gus. Most are Biblical: two Michaels, a Joshua, and a Rachel. A few Shakespearean girls: Portia, Jessica. The other six are English kings and queens.

Little Julian is the three year old. He takes Remus' hand and follows him as they make their rounds. His foster mother, Diana, tells Remus that she is worried that Julian is a bit too trusting. He understands from his reading that this sometimes happens to foster children.

The parents don't call themselves foster parents. They consider themselves the true families of the children, no matter what problems might present themselves. Since Remus plans to represent them as families to the Scottish Literacy Trust, he supposes this is a good thing.  
~~~~

Remus prepares for the first Transformation in his tent. He does not to know what to expect and is afraid to ask questions. Will the other werewolves think he is assimilated for worrying about infecting people? The camp is very far away from the next farm and even further from a town or village.

Katy Williams and Diana look into the tent entrance. "Profess…Mr. Lupin?" calls Diana.

"Please, call me Remus."

"Remus. We came to talk about the Transformation. We know you haven't transformed in a pack before, and we thought you might have questions."

He is relieved and embarrassed. "Oh, yes, I really…"

"I can tell you a little bit about what's different," Katy says. "For one thing, you don't have to worry about biting anyone. It's…calmer with the pack. In any case, there aren't any other people for miles around."

"But without Wolfsbane…"

"Without Wolfsbane, you won't remember as much of the pain of transforming. You will be all wolf."

"Have you taken Wolfsbane?"

Diana says, "I have, when I lived with my parents. You do remember the transformations more. I remember that last hour before sunrise, the feelings of fear and dread, and how I wanted to bite my legs, to get away."

"Do you remember what you do while you are a wolf?"

Katy says, "It's a bit like a dream. You remember bits and pieces."

"That's how it is for me, alone, but I feel the wolf's agitation."

"You don't feel as agitated when you aren't chained or locked in and isolated. You are calmer in the pack and it feels less aggressive."

"What about, er, estral cycles?"

Katy turns pink. "Of course, you realize that what we do in the wolf bodies does not affect our relationships during the rest of the month."

Well, that was tactful, but it can't be true.

"What she means is, you might, er, mate in the wolf body, but you will only remember it as a dream, and…" Diana trails off.

"What about dominance? I am clearly an outsider, will I have to fight?" Remus looks down.

"We don't think that's what happens when we are wolves. Free wolves don't fight about dominance. They have dominance rituals, but they don't fight. It's captivity that makes wolves aggressive. We are closer to free wolves. Our pack is more like a family than a…a prison gang." Diana looks at him.

"But wolf packs, I mean of real wolves, not lycanthropic humans, are based on biological relations. They are real families, with a mother and father." Remus says it softly.

"I'm not saying this is natural, Mr. Lupin." Diana responds.

"We're a tightly-knit community here, because we have to be. Transforming here is safer than transforming in a thickly-settled area." Katy is firm. "You will find there are advantages to being in a pack. Plan to take off your clothes in your tent before moonrise, but leave the door open."

Remus nods. The women leave. He sits down to take notes on another book on the theory of teaching children to read.  
~~~~

Before moonrise, Remus goes to the doorway of the tent and unzips it, and then removes his clothing. He doesn't hear the other werewolves outside. He feels more frightened of this change than he has been in a long time.

But when the change comes, it is surprisingly easy. He does not remember pacing, the way he does when he takes Wolfsbane. He doesn't have any marks from destroying the furniture. He has a dreamlike memory of calm running, and playing with the pups, and even more vaguely, of killing one of the squirrels that infest the vegetable garden.

In the morning, Remus awakens at the threshold of his bender tent. Someone guided him back here. He is alone. He feels weak, but not horribly ill. The wolf did not bite his hands this time. His throat is sore and his joints are painful, but he isn't bleeding anywhere. He drags himself into the tent and onto his cot, and sleeps.

In the early afternoon, there is a knock on the tent frame. It is Williams.

"Professor Lupin?"

"Mr. Williams. Please call me Remus."

"Remus. There's some broth, if you would care to join us."

As quickly as he can, which is slowly indeed, Remus puts on his clothing and comes outside. Diana and her partner Paula are there with little Julian. Remus joins them around the fire and Katy gives him a bowl of soup.

"Katy cooks the soup in advance and leaves it. Dave still has his wand and knows the fire spell so it doesn't take long to reheat it." Diana explains.

Remus can't believe that he is so much more exhausted than the rest of them. Julian comes to sit on his lap and leans his little head on Remus' shoulder.  
~~~~

Remus begins his teaching duties unofficially, by bringing a picture book to each household. He knows it is a little confusing for the children when the picture books feature anthropomorphized animals. He fears they will ask if the bear in clothing is a were-bear.

The children love the books. He sees their parents reading to them in the mornings at breakfast time, around the stoves and campfires. Hurricane lamps burn into the evening as the children demand bedtime stories.

When he moves to more formal classes, he enlists Paula to help them sing the nursery songs. He can't sing the songs he sang with his mother with the little children, because he will cry. Anyway his throat is permanently hoarse. He teaches the alphabet, using a spell to make each letter jump. He teaches nursery rhymes to help them identify magical plants, and he shows them how to control their magic as it comes in.

In spite of the formal pedagogical style he learned at Hogwarts, the students want to embrace him after each lesson. After a short discussion with Katy about it, he decides to let them.  
~~~~

 

After five months Remus has established himself in the pack as the teacher that David Williams hoped he would be. He has begun train seventeen-year-old Paula to replace him, at least with the younger children. He realizes that he has completely forgotten his mission.

"David?" he asks tentatively, knocking on the doorframe of the Williams' wagon.

"Remus!" Williams is warm.

"I need to talk with you…about the wizard's war. About why I came here."

"I'm listening, Remus."

"You know that I came here because Fenrir Greyback has been trying to recruit werewolves to fight for Voldemort. I am opposed to Voldemort and want to ensure that werewolves do not become tools in his hands."

"Greyback is an interesting thinker. You know that he is the first werewolf to assert that we should intentionally infect more people, to recruit, as it were?"

"Yes I did know that. I can't…interesting thinker! He bit Julian!" He bit me, Remus wants to scream, he cursed me, and now all these children. "How can it be interesting to give people lycanthropy. It's a terrible illness."

"Even living here, do you believe that still?"

Remus has to be silent again for a minute, before he speaks. "You know I have felt very accepted here, like this is a real family, and safer than I have for a long time. I don't worry about harming the people around me here."

"But you still think lycanthropy is an illness."

"Well, it's…a condition…yes, it's an illness. Every day I am filled with grief about the fate of these children. They will face physical and emotional pain, and discrimination…"

"How much of that pain do you think comes from the discrimination?"

"David, look at yourself. How old are you?"

"I'm forty-four."

Remus looks at him, at the gray hair, the lines in his face. "Okay."

"But Remus, how much of that is from the lycanthropy, and how much from trying to live among people who despise us?"

"I don't know, David. I am 36 years old and I have some weird variation of arthritis, my vocal cords are permanently damaged and I am constantly ill and exhausted. I don't think that's only because of discrimination."

"I can't assume that what wizards call Dark is truly Dark and what they think is Light is right. Wizards took my daughters from me, annulled my marriage, took my home. The Ministry did that. They made me believe that as a werewolf I wouldn't have a choice but to harm people, and it wasn't true." Williams seems to have to force out the last words. Remus reaches out to touch his shoulder.

"But I know about Voldemort, and I know that his goal is to exploit us, to use us in a war against Muggles. He has killed families. His goals aren't clear, but he has already set the Dementors free, and has already killed people at random, not only his opponents. I don't think werewolves should support that."

David pauses. "I agree with you. Voldemort is evil." David doesn't say "you-know-who" or "naming calls" or "the Dark Lord." " But I also don't want to work for the Ministry, or the Order."

"You know about the Order?"

"Remus, please."

"The other side has tried to recruit you."

"Yes, of course. But we aren't going to be recruited. As long as we stay out of it…"

"But what happens if you can't stay out of it?"

"We'll do whatever we have to do to protect our children."

This is, emphatically, the right answer for Remus the teacher, but not necessarily the right answer for Remus, the covert Order operative. He decides to let it be right for both. If Albus is right, then this love will make the difference.

"Remus, do you have to go back to the wizards?"

"Yes. Voldemort and his followers have killed my friends, the ones who weren't afraid to be close to me, even though they knew…I had friends in school who learned to be Animagi in order to be safe with me when I transformed."

"I didn't know that."

"Those men were the closest thing I had to pack…and then also, Voldemort has corrupted people I loved with the threat of violence, or the promise of…I don't know. His evil has harmed everything I love. I am willing to do anything to work against him. He is Dark."  
"Do you miss that old life? I could never go back to…"

"Yes, I miss my friends and my old life. I miss my books." He doesn't know whether he will miss the kindness of the werewolves. He thinks so.  
~~~~

Remus is called away from the pack suddenly to Hogwarts. He returns after Dumbledore's funeral to say goodbye to the werewolf children.

He doesn't want his departure from them to be like the way he left Hogwarts. He still regrets the way he slunk away from the school, ashamed of having tricked Albus Dumbledore and full of fear about how he could have bitten his students. Then Severus' decision to tell the students made it seem impossible to have a normal leave-taking. It seems critical that his leaving the werewolf children be scheduled, planned, part of the school year.

Paula and Katy arrange a small party. The children make drawings for him to take with him. In most of the drawings, they have drawn their pack families around them. Some have drawn him, alone, with a big smile and brown hair. They don't draw his scars, or their own. He takes each picture, carefully, and puts it in a portfolio to carry.

He says goodbye to each child, and recites a spell of protection over them all individually, reciting their names.

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the first pieces of fan fiction I ever wrote. Sorry it took me so long to get it into the archive here.


End file.
